Effective dehydrogenation of 2-pyridylmethanol derivatives catalyzed by an iron complex.

An unprecedented iron complex-catalyzed dehydrogenation of alcohols was achieved using CpFe(CO)2Cl with a base or CpFe(CO)(Py)(Ph) as a catalyst without sacrificing the hydrogen acceptors. This reaction effectively (up to TON 67,000) converted 2-pyridylmethanol derivatives to the corresponding ketones or aldehydes. The mechanistic study is also discussed.